EVER wanted to become the Lord of the Manor of Barnsley? Well for the first time ever there’s a chance you’ll be able to do so...
David Harrison currently holds that title but is putting his land up for auction, along with his title, for the first time.
It’s never gone under the hammer before in the open market but the rare chance is set to open - and with a starting price of £38,000 and 230 acres of land, there’s a chance to etch your name in the town’s rich history.
David inherited the title, along with the Manors of Wakefield, Conisbrough, and the small town of Wales not to be confused with the country - from the aristocrat Lady Diana Miller, for whom David worked as a financial adviser and estate manager.
After her death in 2013, she left most of her estate to her family who live in Kenya but left her Yorkshire Manors to David.
He said: “I met Lady Diana in 1982 and initially provided her with financial advice which resulted in her asking me to handle all her UK affairs in 1991, and I ended up doing more and more for her due to her living in Rhodesia since 1948 with no intention of ever returning to the UK.
“During that time, I advised her that she could be doing more with her interests in Yorkshire, but being a wealthy woman, she wasn’t particularly interested in developing these assets.
“When she passed away, her solicitor contacted me to say she had bequeathed her Yorkshire manorial titles together with their mineral rights to me.
“I think it was her way of getting me to prove it was possible to make some financial gain from them.
“It took several years of research trawling through archives for me to map out the Manors and get them registered with the Land Registry, but eventually the hard work paid off and registration of the the mineral rights has proven to be very fruitful.
“I don’t want my heirs to have to manage these titles after I pass away, so I have decided to simplify my affairs starting with the auction of the Manor of Barnsley.”
The Lord of the Manor of Barnsley, along with the many other titles still existing all over England, date back to the Domesday Book of 1086.
That version of the Manor of Barnsley, along with the other manors that Mr Harrison inherited, were originally acquired by Thomas Osborne, 4th Duke of Leeds, who desired it because of the rich seams of coal underneath.
In modern times, these titles are purely cosmetic, with the real value coming from the mineral rights that lie below the Manor.
There’s no free parking and a special season ticket to watch Barnsley FC at Oakwell this season - but it’ll certainly give you bragging rights at the pub.
David added: “It’s not only a title for whoever buys the Manor, it’s also a title for their spouse.
“The mineral rights are certainly the main draw though.
“Fisher German have assisted me with managing these rights, so I felt they were best to help me offer them at auction along with the title.”
The property will be sold via an online auction.
